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Greymouth Star
West Coast
2 - Friday, July 4, 2014
Star winners
Two Greymouth Star readers will
be able to enjoy some swinging songs
when the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
performs at the Regent Theatre on
July 18. Jane Nimmo and P Maskill
of Paroa each receive a double pass
to the show.
Glacier track to push
closer to terminal face
Department of Conser vation staff
at Franz Josef Glacier are about to
push the track closer to the terminal
face. Conser vation services manager
Wayne Costello said they would take
the track closer and to a better vantage
point. “ The big lump of terminal ice/
moraine left behind by the glacier has
eroded enough to allow us to make a
track past it and further up the valley.
We will start this soon.” The view point
in the Fox Valley was “simply fantastic
and has been for a couple of years”.
Bridge club results
The Greymouth Bridge Club
Wednesday match was drawn
with Diana Fenson and Cynthia
El-Hinsheri and Gerard Bardel
and Ian Anderson finishing on
56%. Thursday: Bruce Truman and
Alan Comis 59% 1, Sue Glue and
Mary Pupich 2. Final result: Brian
Rowlands and Stuart Oliver 56%
1, Bruce Truman and Alan Comis
52% 2.
Shipping
Arrivals: Cook Canyon, Claymore,
Corsair. In port: Galatea II, Cook
Canyon, Claymore, Corsair, 26
other vessels. Expected departures:
Galatea II, Corsair, today. Expected
arrivals: Moon Shadow II today; Jay
Elaine tomorrow; Ocean Odyssey
Monday.
Otago workers will not affect
Reefton mine job cuts
A Cobden man who punched another man
outside Westport’s Black and White Hotel in
May last year has been sentenced to community
work and supervision.
Patrick John Collins-Ryan, 22, pleaded guilty
in Westport District Court on Wednesday to a
charge of assault after it was amended from a
charge of assault with intent to injure.
Police prosecutor Steven Greer said Collins-
Ryan and an associate were at the Black
and White about midnight on May 16 last
year.
The associate used racially offensive words in
conversation with Collins-Ryan.
A fight erupted between the associate and
another man. It was broken up and all three
were removed from the hotel.
The same man and the associate squared off
again outside. Collins-Ryan then punched the
man in the left eye and he fell to the ground
dazed.
Mr Greer said the man suffered a cut to the
eye and a fractured left eye socket.
Collins-Ryan told police he had acted in self-
defence.
Defending, Richard Bodle said that while
Collins-Ryan admitted hitting the man once,
his associate had also knocked the man to the
ground earlier in the hotel.
It was unclear whether Collins-Ryan or his
associate had caused the fracture to the victim’s
eye socket.
After the fight in the hotel the victim was
removed through a back entrance and the
others taken out the front. The victim had
gone back through the hotel and out the front
entrance to square off again and Collins-Ryan
came to assist, said Mr Bodle.
He said Collins-Ryan had pleaded guilty
because he had over reacted in trying to defend
himself and his associate.
He offered to pay $2000 in emotional harm
reparations as he had wanted to put things
right with the victim.
Mr Bodle said the associate’s racially offensive
language had been directed at Collins-Ryan,
not the victim, and was not meant to offend.
Collins-Ryan had not offended again since
the incident more than a year ago.
Judge Brian Callaghan said while it seemed
Collins-Ryan had caused the eye socket
fracture it could have been caused by the earlier
altercation. However, there was no justification
for what he did.
He acknowledged that Collins-Ryan had
now taken steps to get licences to help him get
employment.
He sentenced him to 160 hours’ community
work as well as re-imposing 175 hours he had
outstanding. He also sentenced Collins-Ryan
to nine months’ supervision. He would have
to attend any courses or treatment required by
probation.
He would also have to pay $2000 in emotional
harm reparations.
— Westport News
Convicted
for punch
Nicholas McBride
Oceana Gold says that workers from
its Otago mine brought in to the Globe
Progress Mine at Reefton have had no
effect on looming job cuts at Reefton.
The trans-Tasman goldminer last
month announced plans to cut 60 jobs
from its workforce of 240 at Reefton
over the coming months, with the rest
of the mine to be put into ‘care and
maintenance’ next year.
Despite this, Oceana Gold still had
staff who were brought in from Otago
to work at the Reefton mine after a large
slip affected the Macraes Flat mine in
April.
Investor relations manager Sam
Pazuki said six Macraes haul truck
operators and excavators were working
temporarily at Reefton to “increase
equipment utilisation to achieve higher
production”.
“These employees will return to
their regular duties at Macraes by the
end of this month. Since Reefton has
been in operation, we have temporarily
transferred members of our workforce
from one operation to the other as
required.”
Mr Pazuki said they were currently
consulting with Globe Progress
employees on the job cuts, and their
feedback would be evaluated after July
7.
“The evaluation process is anticipated
to take several weeks and any
announcement regarding changes to
employee numbers is not expected until
the completion of our review.”
Engineering,
Printing
and
Manufacturing Union organiser Garth
Elliott said bringing workers up from
Otago would not have had an impact
on the number of jobs being cut.
“ I’m pretty comfortable that they
haven’t had any impact on the number
of redundancies,” Mr Elliott said.
“They haven’t created any more
redundancies, they have been working
on a shortfall for a small period of
time.”
Westport Court
Georgia Weaver
Journalism Student
Paroa Playcentre hopes some of its
founding members will join in its 40th
anniversary celebrations this year.
The preschool was established on July 15,
1974 and to celebrate the team will host a
dinner party for current and past parents.
“ We’d really love to have people that were
there at the start,” team leader Emma Groot
said.
They were also planning a shared morning
tea and an open day for the children who
had moved on to primary school.
The playcentre was originally attached to
Paroa School but was badly damaged in a
flood in December 2010. It soon got up and
running again in its temporary home in the
Camerons Hall.
After a year and three terms at Camerons,
fundraising and grants allowed them to
move into the new premises, alongside Paroa
School, in late 2012.
The team leaders have noticed a drop in
numbers with the Solid Energy job cuts, but
now have 23 children on the roll.
Mrs Groot said the increasing roll was
“really nice to see”.
Another team leader, Phaedra Robins,
said the playcentre was a crucial part of the
community, especially being the only one in
the area.
“This is the main one that feeds
Greymouth town and south until Hokitika,”
Mrs Robins said.
The next project was to expand the
playcentre’s ‘natural’ playground, where
everything was recycled — even the sandpit.
“ We got sand donated and we had
truckloads of dirt brought down for free,”
Mrs Robins said. “ We’ve had awesome
community support.”
The three-course celebratory dinner will be
held on July 26.
PICTURE: Paul McBride
Aalia Robins, left, Ralph Glasson, Johanna Groot and Harrison Lee busy baking at the Paroa Playcentre, which has just celebrated
its 40th birthday.
Paroa Playcentre celebrating 40 years
Lee Scanlon
of the Westport News
A former Greymouth Hospital
patient says an inquiry into the use
of surgical mesh cannot happen fast
enough.
Two women, Carmel Berry and
Charlotte Korte, were today lobbying
Parliament for the inquiry. They said
surgical mesh had devastated the
lives of many patients, leaving them
in chronic pain.
Jen Branje, 45, of Ashburton,
is among patients who supplied
statements to back up their case.
Mrs Branje was living in Westport
in 2012 when she underwent a
hysterectomy and repairs to her
bladder and vagina at Greymouth
Hospital.
She said she was never told
beforehand
that
controversial
surgical mesh would be inserted or
that it could cause side effects.
“I didn’t understand the seriousness
of what they ’d done to me until I got
home and couldn’t pee at all.”
By then her surgeon had gone
overseas. She had to wait three
months for his return so she could
have corrective surgery at Greymouth
Hospital. It was unsuccessful.
She under went more surgery,
performed by two urologists and
a g ynaecologist, at Christchurch
Women’s Hospital last year to
remove the surgical mesh and
support her bladder with a sling
of her own tissue. However, that
surgery was also less successful than
she hoped. She believes some of the
surgical mesh remains, as she still has
groin pain.
Surgical mesh was dangerous and
should be banned until an inquiry
had been held, she said today.
“It can’t be coincidence that so
many people are being so maimed by
it. All implanting of it needs to stop
until the inquiry is finished.”
Many patients were unaware
surgeons had used the mesh until
after their surgery. Scotland had
suspended its use.
Mrs Branje said she still suffered
from chronic groin pain, numb legs,
and bladder and bowel problems.
Sexual relations with her husband
remained impossible.
She had tried to return to work, but
managed only two shifts at Talley ’s
Fisheries’ Ashburton processing plant.
“I couldn’t do any more. My legs
wouldn’t stand up to it, with the pain
in my thighs and the ner ve damage.
It was just excruciating.”
She previously worked as a heavy
machinery operator, but said it now
took all her time to drive a car. A
trip to the supermarket left her
exhausted.
She felt guilty that she could
not have sex with her husband or
contribute to their finances. She was
unable to socialise because of her
bowel and bladder problems.
Mrs Branje’s case has been
before the Health and Disability
Commissioner for over a year. She
has complained that the Greymouth
Hospital surgeon did not advise her
he was using surgical mesh or tell
her of the risk it posed, and that she
lacked care when he subsequently
went overseas.
“I was left with three months of
constant urinary infections and an
inability to void my bladder properly
while he (the surgeon) went on his
sabbatical holiday.”
She said the West Coast District
Health Board (DHB) had
apologised when it mistakenly sent
her another patient ’s records. It
had not apologised for what she
sees as a surgical botch-up and lack
of aftercare. Nor had it provided
information she sought in a timely
or understandable way.
The DHB has previously said it
would not comment on the case
while the Health and Disability
Commissioner
is investigating.
— APNZ
Surgical mesh inquiry cannot happen
fast enough for Coast woman
A judge described a four-month
prison sentence he handed down
to a Greymouth teenager as
“sad indictment on society” at
the Greymouth District Court
yesterday.
Frank Finch, 17, formerly of
Hokitika, was sentenced on three
charges of intimidation, stealing
a plug, intentionally damaging a
glass door panel at his mother’s
house, receiving a stolen Toshiba
laptop, damaging a toilet block
door, possessing a marker pen for
graffiti, and breach of supervision.
All the offending occurred
between May 1 and May 8.
Judge Brian Callaghan said
judges saw people like Finch
who, because they had inadequate
parents, were placed in State
care; Finch had been put in care
at 11 years old. He also had a
history of school and behavioural
difficulties.
Judge Callaghan said it was a
“sad indictment on society” that
he had no other alternatives than
to lock up Finch, something he
was not happy about. However,
given the offending occurred
while he was under community
supervision he had no option but
to do so.
Lawyer Richard Bodle said
Finch had “painted himself into
a corner” through his largely
“nuisance-type
offending”.
However if something was not
done Finch would be more
institutionalised than he was
already.
Mr Bodle said a short term of
imprisonment would be an option
while rehabilitation options were
looked at.
Sheldon Hughes, 19, of no
fixed abode, was convicted of
common assault, wilful trespass,
threatening to kill, two breaches
of community work, two charges
of unlawfully interfering with a
motor vehicle and assaulting a
woman in October last year and
June this year.
He was remanded in custody
for a pre-sentence report to
be completed before he was
sentenced on July 28.
Kerry Aston from Community
Corrections said Hughes had
a number of mental health and
family issues.
District Court
Teen’s prison sentence ‘a sad
indictment on society’ — Judge
Georgia Weaver
Journalism Student
From the teeny-weenie to the more
modest, Greymouth Aquatic Centre is
making a display that shows the history
of swimwear in celebration of the West
Coast 150th anniversary celebrations.
Event
co-ordinator
Lynnette
O’Connor said they were looking for
donations of togs and photographs from
every era to show the progression of the
swimming costume.
“ I’d like to show how things have
changed from the large cover-up to the
incy, skimpy bikini,” Mrs O’Connor said.
Shehadoneitemsofar—apairof
men’s speedos she thought were from
the 1960s.
“ It’s funny how fashion comes back
around.”
Photo boards will be set up at the
aquatic centre for the celebration.
“ We are hoping to have a couple of
togs displayed on mannequins, but
obviously we can’t have them scattered
all over the pool,” Mrs O’Connor said.
Fashion historian Doris de Pont said
that 150 years ago swimming was not
considered good for health.
Swimwear used to be tunic-like
and for both men and women “it was
important not to be able to see your
body”.
In the 20th century, it was being
made to fit the body shape, out of
knitted wool. From the 1930s men were
allowed to bare their chests, so long as
the material covered their navels.
Ms de Pont said she believed the one-
piece bathing suit was becoming popular
again: “Modesty is coming back.”
Greymouth Aquatic
Centre display shows
history of swimwear
The Reefton Historic Trust Board
has received a certificate of merit for
restoring the Mawheraiti railway house.
The award came from the Rail
Heritage Trust of New Zealand.
The project involved relocating
the house from Mawheraiti south
of Reefton to the Reefton Railway
Precinct and its repair, restoration,
reconstruction and adaptation.
The group’s awards application said
moving the house was the first step
in re-establishing the Reefton railway
village, which used to comprise eight
houses.
The house had been repaired to its
former external form, including the
addition of the standard laundry and
toilet area.
In the interior the spaces had been
adapted so the house was more
functional for its intended visitor
accommodation use.
It still had the feel of a 1940s’ railway
house.
The board said that next it would work
on the railway station, an engine shed
and a turntable.
Kiwi Rail had recently completed
earthquake-strengthening work on the
engine shed.
It was possible a Mainline Heritage
Trust steam locomotive would be
housed in the shed. — Westport News
Award for railway
house restoration
WEST COAST
VETS
(Opposite Dixon Park)
Phone 768 0370
for 24 Hour Service.
Duty Vet:
Dr Marjan Sprock
A CARD
Greymouth's
Emergency
Chemist this week is:
MASON'S
PHARMACY LTD
Tainui Street
Phone 768 7470 (shop)
731 1857 (after hours)
Hours:
Friday open until
5.30pm
Saturday
10am-12 noon
No Sunday hours
DUTY DOCTOR
Friday 6pm until
8am Monday
GREYMOUTH
MEDICAL CENTRE
153 Tainui Street
SURGERY HOURS:
Saturday and Sunday:
10am to 12 noon
4pm-5pm
Telephone: 769 9300
Greymouth’s only
FDANZ Funeral Home
Ph 768 0250
Formally NZ qualified
Embalmer
Janette Millar
National Dip. Embalming
Reg. (NZEA)
WESTLAND
WESTLAND
FUNERAL
FUNERAL
SERVICES LTD
SERVICES LTD
New Zealand
Embalmers Association
Dedicated to the
maintenance of the highest
standards of professtional
conduct and ability
Ensuring you get Expertise
and Qualified Funeral
Service
westlandfuneralservice.com
DEATHS
WEEKEND
EMERGENCY
SERVICES
ANNOUNCEMENTS
A late frost caught out
drivers across eastern and
South Otago yesterday.
Emergency ser vices
attended multiple crashes
between 8am and 9.30am.
Wet roads coupled with
a late frost caught out
motorists and pedestrians
alike, senior sergeant Dave
Scott, of D unedin, said.
Emergency services
attended eight crashes.
Luckily, the crashes
resulted only in minor
injuries, he said.
— APNZ-Otago Daily
Times
Frost catches out drivers
by Janna Sherman
of the Hokitika Guardian
Liquidators have moved in
on Hokitika French Restaurant
Cafe de Paris, closing the
business earlier than expected.
Owners Pierre and Joy Esquilat
told the Guardian in a statement
they planned to close the
business from tomorrow.
However, it has not opened at
all this week.
A Ministry of Business,
Innovation and Employment
spokesman confirmed yesterday
Cafe de Paris had been closed
and was in the process of
liquidation.
On Monday, its directors had
been declared bankrupt on
the application of Inland
Revenue.
“The Official Assignee has
closed the business and steps
will now be taken to realise
the assets for the benefit
of creditors,” the spokesman said.
The amount of the indebtedness
could not be disclosed.
Mr Esquilat, who started the
business 30 years ago, declined to
comment yesterday.
He said earlier the past three
years following the Canterbury
earthquakes had impacted on the
viability of the cafe. A number
of other factors, including a glut
of cafes in Hokitika, had also
contributed to the closure.
Liquidators close Cafe de Paris
Auckland
Labour says it will spend $60
million over four years to halt
family and sexual violence if it
gets into government.
Leader David Cunliffe is in
Auckland today where he will
release the party ’s policy on
reducing family violence.
“On
average 35 New
Zealanders are killed by a
member of their family every
year, and one in three women
experience intimate partner
violence. Last year 20,000
women and children sought the
help of Women’s Refuge,” Mr
Cunliffe said.
“This is totally unacceptable. It
has a devastating physical and
emotional impact on the lives
of a great many of our women
and children. Labour will work
towards its elimination.”
Mr Cunliffe will announce
a package of measures for
immediate action, as well as
longer-term solutions.
“ We will adopt an action plan
to eliminate violence against
women and children. We will
provide $60m over four years
for family and sexual violence
to support front-line services,
primary
prevention
and
education,” Mr Cunliffe said.
Labour would reform the
justice system to provide “real
justice to survivors while
upholding the right to be
presumed innocent ” and review
prosecution guidelines and the
operation of protection orders.
“As Labour Party leader, I
am determined that we address
the causes and consequences of
family violence but this cannot
be achieved in a piecemeal
manner or without a unified
effort
across
government
agencies and NGOs,” he said
— APNZ
Labour to spend $60m to halt family violence